Cypria

Zagora, Pelion - Greece

This beautiful, mountainous village, at about 47km from Volos, was built in a very inspiring area. It is the biggest village in Pelion and was very prosperous and wealthy  during the 17th and 18th centuries. Here one of the main occupations was the production of silk, which gave a big push to the development of factories. This in turn began trading by sea from the port of Horefto, which led to the village becoming wealthy. Evidence of this vast wealth can be seen in the many mansions in the village.

Today the locals live on  farming and cultivating apple and pear trees. Apples and pears from Pelion constitute the main Greek export market all over the world.

In the 18th century, Zagora was the largest centre of culture in Pelion. You must visit the old school of "Rigas" (1777) or the "Greekmuseum" as it was later named. It is known as the oldest school in Pelion. Many famous Greeks studied here, such as Rigas Ferreos (leader of the Greek Revolution ), Anthimos Gazis, Grigoris Konstantas and Kallinikos Lapatis (Patriarch of Constatinople).

You must also visit the famous library of Zagora, where there are 15,000 old books. You will also be impressed with the traditional architecture of the old houses together with the  cobbled paths and traditional mansions.

The impressive churches of Agia Paraskevi (1803), Agios Gergios (St.George) (1765) and Agia Kiriaki (1740) are decorated with  striking golden sculptured icons.

In early September, the female corporation of Zagora organises the festival of the "Apple", which includes dance and food. You can go swimming to the beautiful beach of Horefto, or Agioi Saranta if you prefer a quieter beach.. You will find a lot of tavernas and restaurants offering you an excellent taste of the unique Pelion cuisine.

WHERE TO STAY

Areston Rooms

Nefeli Maisonettes

 

Information collected from  Around Pelion

Alluring Santorini

White washed houses with blue doors and windows hanging out from the steep red and black cliffs. Narrow cobbled streets surrounded by traditional houses. Picturesque villages full of dug-in houses carved into the rocks. Shimery captain's houses lying under the sunshine.

An extraordinary garland made by exquisite artistic mansions fills with colour, light and life the imposing Caldera. Santorini is an extremely beautiful island, full of colours, scents and scenery. It's like a big puzzle in which every piece hides its own private history: museums, churches,scheduled settlements, sea, volcano and hospitable people.

The best aubergine salad in Greece!

You can explore Santorini by walking along the "kalderimia" - the narrow cobbled streets of the island - by enjoying local food and tasting the famous wines of Santorini, by visiting the museums and the archaeological sites or simply by basking on one of Santorini's alluring beaches, such as Monolithos, Kamari, Perissa and Perivolos, or simply by contemplating the most famous sunset in the world.

 

How to get there:

Santorini can be reached from most international airports via Athens. Athens is served by the Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos.

Where to stay:

Santorini Hotels

Platres, Cyprus

The village of Platres is situated on the fringe of the forest on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range, at an altitude of 1,200 metres above sea level. It has an ideal climate that is cool and dry during the summer months with temperatures ranging from 27*C to 12*C. In the winter months it's really cold, it usually snows and temperatures can go down to -5*C.

In the 1930s and 40s, visitors from neighbouring countries used to spend the summer in the mountains of Cyprus to escape the heat. Among them was King Farouk of Egypt and the Greek Nobel prize winning poet George Seferis who referred to Platres in his poem "Eleni", noting that "in Platres nightingales will not let you sleep." In the dense forests of the area, nightingales sing all night from mid-May to end of June.

Today, Platres is a popular mountain resort among Cypriots and visitors from all over the world. The scenic surroundings are ideal for walking, cycling, mountaineering, painting and skiing. The cherry blossom in spring, the rich fruit harvest in summer and the excellent wine produced in the area charm and delight the visitor.

Geographically Platres is situated in the centre of the island with excellent road connection to the main cities of Nicosia, Lemesos, Larnaca and Paphos.

How to get there:

by car from Larnaca International Airport - about a 60-minute drive

Where to stay:

The Forest Park Hotel

The Pendeli Hotel

The New Helvetica Hotel

 

Great Eateries

Psilon Dendron

Pigasos

Village Tavern

Kalidonia Restaurant

Rethymno, Crete

Where is it?:
Rethymno is located on the northwestern coast of the Greek island of Crete, west of Heraklion and east of Chania. Like numbers? Here's the latitude and longitude: 24° 32' 3" E. Latitude: 35° 12' 52" N.

Photo Credit

Why You Should Go:
Less hectic than Heraklion, with better shopping than Chania, this is a Cretan small city that grows on you.

If you're traveling to Greece during Carnival Season, Rethimno puts on a memorable one. They also have a summer-long cultural festival.

Photo Credit - Rethymno Harbour

Where to Stay and Dine:
Find a room in the old Venetian-Turkish section for an evocative stay close to several days' worth of dining and shopping. The Hotel Ideon is conveniently located near both the harbor and the old town. For the more adventurous, try Olga's Pension, an unusual collection of rooms above the old shoemaker's street.

Hotels in Rethymno

For dining, Taverna Gounas is renowned for its live Cretan music and traditional atmosphere, though the food may be a bit too traditional for some - simple boiled lamb and boiled chicken are the house specialties; Taverna Castelo, in an old Venetian building without a roof, provides starlit fine dining which may make you completely rethink Greek cuisine. But the restaurant choices are abundant, and it's hard to stay faithful to the idea of returning to that cute taverna you noticed in the afternoon once dinner time arrives.

Don't Miss Seeing:
The Venetian fortress provides a long, cool place to walk along the seawall, especially at sunset when you'll find yourself accompanied by many Greeks - some even jogging.

Travel Tip:
A taxi to or from Heraklion will cost you about €40 ($50). If you don't mind dragging your own luggage, regular buses travel several times a day between the two cities for just a few Euro per person.

via gogreece.about.com

Paphos, Cyprus

Paphos is alive again. After many hundreds of years of neglect and isolation, it has been revitalised with visitors from all over Europe and beyond.

This time you are not coming to pay homage to Aphrodite and participate to the annual celebrations, you are coming to admire the past, to enjoy the present and explore the beautiful contrasting coastline and countryside. To relax and feel at home.

When, as a youngster, I used to wander around the empty spaces of Kato Paphos pretending to be an amateur archaeologist, sitting for hours watching the few barges loading carobs, almonds or other goods onto a lonely boat off shore, I never imagined that one day, the place would be buzzing with life and boast an international airport. Now the barges are gone and no commercial boats come to Paphos but the small, idyllic harbour is full of fishing, pleasure and sailing boats. This rapid growth has been good up to a point but I hope that unscrupulous property developers will continue to be restrained in spite of some of the misjudged decisions that have been taken in recent times.

by Renos Lavithis in "Paphos- Land of Aphrodite"

Despite this amazing growth - especially after the Turkish Invasion in July 1974 - Aphrodite's land is one of my most favourite destinations when I travel in Cyprus. Situated at about 150 km west of Larnaca, Paphos is the place where, according to greek mythology, Aphrodite - the goddess of Beauty and Love - has risen from the foamy waters of Petra Tou Romiou - The Rock of the Greek. Paphos is noted for its many antiquities the most remarkable of which is the Archaeological Park including the Mosaic Houses such as the House of Dionysos, the House of Theseus and the House of Orpheus. Outside the Archaeological Park, you can visit the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates, The Eastern Necropolis, Hellinosphilios and The Tombs of the Kings.  No wonder why Paphos was listed in Unesco's World Heritage in 2008.

Where to Stay

You can book a hotel, a hotel appartment or a villa at Eurobookings

The Elysium Beach Hotel

All photos by @anastasia.marou

The Island of Kimolos, Greece

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Kimolos  occupies an area of  37 square kilometres with a perimetre of 16 miles. It is located North East of the island of Milos, separated by the strait of Kimolos, and more generally in the South/West part of the Cycladic Islands. Kimolos is a volcanic island, mountainous and full of natural caves. It counts about 650 inhabitants, mostly concentrated in the "Chora"(the capital) and at the port "Psathi". South/East of the island there are three islets: Agios Giorgos, Agios Efstathios, and the largest, beautiful Poliaigos, all uninhabited.The necropolis found at Ellinika, in the south west of the island, and the remnants of the ancient city of Kimolos  on the islet of Agios Andreas are testimony to habitation as far back as the Mycenean period. The name Kimolos derives from kimolia - the greek word for chalk - since all the houses are whiter than white! Chalk is still an export product for the island but the islanders basically live off fishing and tourism to some extent.

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Today, most of the people of Kimolos live in the island's capital Chora. Because of the many pirate attacks, the village has been built like a true labyrinth, in order to confuse the enemies. Here, you can visit the archaeological museum with objects mainly from the excavations at Ellinika, and there is also an impressive church with a blue dome, as well as an old castle. At Ellinika there is a diving school, where you can go for a guided dive around the sunken city. Don't expect to see too much though. The fishing village Goupa is very pretty and definitely worth a visit. The hot wells of Prassa are reputed for having healing powers. 

Photo Credit

Kimolos is not reputed for its great beaches, but there are a few places where you can truly enjoy the sea. Mavrospilia is a long, deserted beach, Aliki is a pretty good sandy beach with pebbles and in Goupa there are some cliffs you can jump into the water from! You can also get the taxiboat to the little islet Poliegos where the best beaches are.

Because of the lack of transportation- no buses, carrentals or mopeds- you'll have to settle with walking. The distances are not very big though, and if you're lucky you might be able to hitchhike. In the harbour there is usually a taxiboat, and sometimes you can get a fisherman to take you where you want to go for a small fee.

This volcanic, mountainous island with white cliffs and roads is a perfect getaway for those who want some peace and quiet. It is a popular island amongst the Greeks, but has not really been discovered by the foreign tourists yet. It is a genuine, picturesque island with friendly people and tiny villages, a few things to see, great food and wine and  amazingly clear waters.

Kimolos Hotel Deals

Adapted from Kimolos Island